Electric switch suitable for use in telegraphy.



, F.G.CREED.

ELECTRIC SWITCH SUITABLE FOR USE IN TELEGRAPHY. APPLICATION mm Aus.z4. $914.

1,21 8,062. Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Illll ter referred to as oil) ELECTRIC SWITCH SUITABLE FOR USE IN TELEGRAPHY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 24, 1914. Serial No. 858,280.

To all whom it may concern:

am and Ireland, residing at Croydon, county of Surrey, England, have invented Improvements in Electric Switches Suitable for Use in Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

means capable of opening, either at moderate or high speeds and with any desired length of break, electric circuits carrying large electric currents at high or low voltage without producing arcs or sparks such as would For the purpose of this invention the electric switch for use in a transmitter may comprise contacts having their circuit makbeing separated. One or some of these contacts (hereinafter called for distinction the stationary contact or contacts) is stationary, so far as a to and fro motion thereof is concerned, but mounted to turn in a stationary plane about a fixed axis and the other or others (hereinafter called for distinction the movable contact or contacts) is capable of movement toward and from the so-called stationary contact or contacts. To enable the switch to deal with large currents without the necessity of making its parts of undue dimensions and so that it can be easily and quickly operated, the movable contact or contacts is or are connected in circuit with an electric generator through a mercury bath or baths which may be held in a receptacle or receptacles separate from that in which the quenching medium (hereinafis held, or arranged in the same receptacle, and into'which a conducting extension from the movable con tact, or each such contact, dips at all times. The stationary contact tact may be a rod or or each such condisk of metal or other conductor in contact with and covered by the oil.

To prevent. or assist in preventing or quenching any are or sparks produced between the movable and stationary contacts, particularly when dealing with high electrical powers and when the movable contact or contacts is ciprocating Fig. 4 is a diagram.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a is a movable contact carried by a lever a pivoted at a and b is a second contact (herein called the stationary contact) in the form of a disk carried by a rotary shaft-b The two contacts are arranged in a vessel 0 charged with oil and adapted to open and close between them the primary or other circuit d used in the transmitting system or' apparatus of a wireless station. The connection of the contacts to the circuit may conveniently be effected through insulated mercury baths e and e into which a lower extension a of the lever a and a collar 6 on the rotary shaft 6 constantly dip. The contact lever ing wireless signals,

c is operated fromthe piston g of acompressed air motor g the controlllng valve h of which is moved by a lever z. This lever may be operated by hand, or it may, 213M111- dicated, be the reversing lever of a Wheatstone or equivalent telegraphic transmitter controlled by a perforated tape, for eXamsponsive'to the positive and negative impulses constituting a signal or message sent from such transmitting instrument and is adapted to operate, in the required manner, the movable contact or contacts of the circuit making and breaking device for opening and closing the primary circuit d of the transmitter for sending wireless messages. The latter transmitter, marked collectively T, is hereinafter called for distinction the wireless transmitter, the first mentioned transmitter, marked collectively T being, for a similar reason, called the controlling transmitter. The key 2' may, as shown, be the reversing key of a Wheatstone or other automatic transmitting instrument- Or it may be a hand operated key-or leverof a nonautomatic transmitting instrument. By the means described the movable contact or contacts a of the wireless transmitter can be operated from a telegraphic receiving instrument, marked collectively R, comprising a relay? or electromagnetic mechanism 70 responsive to telegraphic signals sent from the controlling transmitter T and a fluid pressure motor m controlled by a valve 41. op-

I erated either directly, or indirectly from the relay or electro-magnetmechanism 70. Such a telegraph receiving instrument, shown only diagrammatically in Fig. 2, may advantageously be constructed and operated in one or other of the ways described in the specification of British Letters Patent No. 5490 of 1905, or British Letters Patent No. 1061 of 1902, for the purpose of operating tape punching mechanism, the fluid pressure motor in the present case being utilized to operate the wireless circuit making and breaking device of the wireless transmitter T and the punching mechanism and associated parts of the old receiving instrument being dispensed with. In such an arrangement the motor m may advantageously be a compressed air motor and the valve n of such motor may, as shown, advantageously be actuated by a supplementary compressed air motor 0 controlled by a small and light and balanced slide valve 12 directly actuated through a lever r by a sensitive and rapidly acting electro-magnetic device kthat is directly or indirectly operated by electric impulses-in the telegraph line 3'. The several partsmay be constructed and arranged substantially as described in the specification of other British Letters Patent No. 238341 of vice in this example is shown as comprising two oscillating contacts api'voted at t in insulated mercury cups, and linked together and to the reciprocating piston'rod act the fluid pressure motor on by links-'0 and a rod .75 1908. The circuit making and breaking de- 4 w of insulating material, and a rotary conrotary shaft y, the two contacts a being thus connected in series circuit when the device is tact b in the form of a disk carried by. a,

The rod w carries a spring blade 'w which works be- 1 tween stationary adjustable and insulated stops 1 and 2 for the purpose of insuring, as far as possible, that the two contacts a. shall make connection with the rotary contact I) at the same time, and also break connection with the rotary contact at the same time. 3 is a cylindrical box arranged near to the rotary contact I) and having in'its periphery slits 4 arranged opposite to the gaps between the contacts a and b and into which compressed air is continually forced, as through a pipe 5, so that streams of air will issue with considerable force through the slitsand blow out any arcs formed between the contacts a and b when the former are moved from thelatter. In this case the contactsa and 72 need not be immersed in a quenching medium such as oil.

An arrangement such as hereinbefore described with reference to and shown in Fig.

2 can advantageously be used in a so-called duplex wireless arrangement, comprising (see Fig. 4:) receiving and transmitting stations A and B respectively, arranged at a considerable distance apart at one side of the space over which wireless messages are.

to be transmitted and similar stations C and D respectively, arranged at the other.

In such an installa side of the said space. tion a controlling transmitter T (Fig. 2) maybe arranged at station A and a tele graphic receiving instrument B (Fig. 2)

and wireless transmitter T (Fig. 2) at sta tion B controlled telegraphically from station A, a' similar arrangement of instruments being provided at stations 0 and D. In this way the sending of wireless signals from stations B and D to stations 0 and A can be effected by telegraphists at stations A and C, mechanicians only being necessary at stations B and D.

, The transmitter herein called the wireless used in wireless transapparatus of various transmitter, can be mitting or sending kinds. 1

Instead of passing the whole of the current in the transmitter circuit through a single pair of contacts it may be sent through a number of pairs of contacts arranged in parallel and adapted to be opened or closed simultaneously, as shown in Fig. 5, which shows two pairs of contacts a, like the single pair shown in Fig. 2, connected in parallel.

What I claim is:

1. An electric switch comprising a rotary shaft, a disk carried thereby, means for rotating said shaft and disk, movable contacts adjacent to saidv disk and adapted to complete electrical connection therethrough, rods connected to said contacts, a cross head connected to said rods and insulated therefrom, and means for reiprocating said cross head whereby said contacts are moved into and out of engagement with the said rotary contact. g

2. An electric switch comprising a rotary shaft, a disk carried thereb means for rotating said shaft and disk, pivoted contacts adjacent to said disk and adapted to complete electrical connection therethrough, a reciprocating device, a cross head pivoted to said reciprocating device, links connecting said contacts to said I adapted to maintain cross head and means said links and crow head substantially in the same relative position but capable of allowing of slight angular movement of said cross head in relation to said links.

3. An electric switch comprising a rotary shaft, a disk carried thereby, means for rotating said shaft and disk, pivoted contacts adjacent to said disk and adapted to complete electrical connection therethrough, a reciprocating device, a cross head pivoted to said reciprocating device, links connecting said contacts to said cross head, a spring blade fixed to said pivoted cross head and stops between which said blade can work.

4. An electric switch, comprising a rotary shaft, a drive means for said shaft, a disk carried by said shaft, pivoted contacts adjacent the disk on opposite sides and completing the contact through the disk, rods pivotally connected to the said contacts intermediate their pivoted ends and contact points, an insulated cross-head connected to said rods and means for moving said crosshead whereby the pivoted contacts are moved in and out of engagement with the said rotary contact.

Signed at London, of August, 1914.

FREDERICK GEORGE CREED.

Witnesses:

A. H. STEVENS, H. D. JAMESON.

England, this 12th day 

